Crate.



L. B. KAUPPMANN.

CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1909.

Patented June`25, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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WIT /VE 8855' rra/amers L. B. KAUFFMANN.

CRATE. A APPLICATION FILED AUG. 24, 1909.

Patented June 25, 1912.

ESS-

WITNESSES.

LOU B. KAUFFMAN N, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO KAUFFMANN KASEKOMPANY,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CRATE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

ratentediune 25,1912.

Application filed August 24, 1909. Serial No. 514,364.

-citizen of the United States, and a 'resident of the city of New York,borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have inventeda new and Improved Crate, of which the following is a full, clear, andeXact description.

The invention is an improvement in crates for bottles and otherreceptacles, and has in view a substantially indestructible box adaptedto be nested within like boxes and having a rack of intersecting barsforming a number of receptacle pockets, the entire structure beingpreferably of sheet metal, with the frame and bottle rack bars of suchcross-sectional shape as to insure strength and rigidity, while beingrelatively light.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate constructed in accordance withmyl invention, one corner of the crate being broken away and in sectionto better illustrate the construction; Fig. 2 is a cross-section of thecrate; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the upper corners of thecrate; Fig. 4 is a similar view of one of the bottom corners of thecrate; Fig. 5 is a perspective view, illustrating the connection betweenthe intersecting bars of the bottle rack; Fig. 6 is a similarview,showing the manner in which the ends of the bottle rack bars are shapedpreparatory to insertingthem through the sides of the crate; Fig. 7 is aperspective view of a conveyer bar of the crate; Fig. 8 is a perspectiveview of the upper end portion of one of the corner binding stripspreparatory to bending it to the inside of the crate; Fig. 9 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 8, showing the end of one of the corner binding stripsfoldedinwardly; and Fig. 10 is a vertical section through the handopening at one end of the crate.

ln the construction of the crate, l provide a marginal bottom frameconstructed of a bar or angle-iron 5, L-shaped in cross-section,'with achannel rail 6 depending from the inner edge of the horizontal flange ofthe angle-iron and receiving a reinforcing bar 7, the sides of thebottom frame being connected together at-intervals by channel` bars 8having their upper edgesoutwardly curved or beaded, the flanges of thebars being cut away at the ends, as shown in Fig. 2, with the bottomsthereof passed through openings in the horizontal flanges of theangle-irons and bent against the under facesof the said flanges, asindicated at 9. The bottom frame of the crate is further reinforced by achannel conveyer bar 10 longitudinally and centrally arranged,.with the-ends of the bar fastened to 'the ends of the frame similarly to thebars 8, and with the edges of the flanges arranged in substantially theplane of the bottom of the channel rail 6. To the vertical anges of thebottom frame are secured by' riveting or any other suitable manner, thesides 11 and ends 12 of the crate, the same being preferably of sheetmetal, with the sides and ends secured together at their meeting edgesby angular binding strips 13. The sides and ends are reinforced at thetop of the crate by an angle or L-shaped bar `14, over the verticalflange of whichv are inwardly turned the edges of the sides and ends,the upper portions Vof the angular binding strips'13 being likewiseturned into engagement with the' in connection with the top edge of thecrate,

provides seats for the rai?L 6 and horizontal flange of the bottom orbase frame, of a like crate, whereby a number of crates may be nestedone within the other without interfering with the bottles or otherreceptacles which the crates may contain, the walls' of the crates beingsufficiently high for this purpose. y

The angle-iron 5 of the bottom frame and` the angle-iron 14 are eachformed continuously at the corners, with the surplus metal in bendingthe angle-irons at these pointsl folded upon itself as respectivelyshown in Figs. 3 and 4, the folded metal in the case of the angle-iron14 being pressed below the horizontal flange, and in the case of theangle-iron 5 the metal is pressed above the flange7 thus, in each caseavoiding the weakenin'g of the metal and interference with the nestingof the crates together. Directly below the angle-iron 14 each of theends 12 is provided with a hand opening 15 having the metal curled backat the edges of the opening, as shown in Figs. 1 and 10, to

to form a comfortable grip 16.

In the lowe'r portion of the crate is a rack constructed of two framesarranged one above the other, as s hown in FigQQ, each frame beingconstructed of a number of intersecting channel bars 17 facingdownwardly and having curved tops, the bars forming a series of bottleAor receptaclepockets, with one of the cross-bars or strips 8 centrallyarranged under each pocket and serving to support the bott-le withoutdanger of scratching or otherwise damaging it on the outwardly-curvedflanges with which these cross-bars are provided. The ends of theintersecting channel bars of the bott-le rack are flattened and cut awayat the-bottom andtop to provide fingers or projections 18, which passthrough the walls of the box and are oppositely turned at the loutsidethereof, as shown in Fig l, to securely 'fasten the rack frames inplace, the rack frames in this way obviously materially reinforcing thecrate. At the intersections of the bars 17, one bar is notched at thetop and the other at the bottom in order that the bars may interit andlie in approximately the same y horizontal plane.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent: L

1. A metal crate including in combination, a bottom, side wallsconnected with the bottom, a frame within the top edges of the sidewalls extendingall the way around the four sides of the crate, saidframe consisting of a flat piece formed longitudinally into two parts atan angle to each other, one of such arts lying against the inner face ofthe side walls adjacent the upper edge thereof, and the other partextending inwardly from a point below the upper edge of the first-namedpart, and said side walls being bent over the part lying thereagainst,and having their bent-over portions secured to the frame. A

2. A metal crate including in combination,`a bottom, side wallsconnected thereto, a single integral frame within the top edges of theside walls, and extending all the way around thevfour side walls, saidframe consisting of two parts, one lying against and attached to theside walls, and the other projecting inwardly from the first-named part,and at substantially right angles thereto, the inwardly projecting partat each corner thereof beingfolded vdownwardly upon itself, to allow theframe to form a rightangle turn to conform to the right-angle cornerbetween the ,side walls.

3. A metal crate including in combination, a bottom, side wallsconnected thereto, a single integral frame within the top edges of theside walls, and extending all the way around the four side walls,saidframe consisting of twoparts one lying against and attached to theside walls, and the other projecting inwardly from the iirst-narnedpart, and at substantially rightangles thereto, the inwardly projectingpart at each corner thereof being folded downwardly upon itself to allowthe frameto form a right-angle turn to confermato the right-angle cornerbetween the side walls, said side walls being bent over the part lyingthereagainst, and having the bent-over portion secured to said frame.

4. A metal crate including in combination, side walls, a frameextendingl all around the bottom edge of the crate, said frame beingbent longitudinally into three parts, one of lsaid parts lying againstand being attached to the bottom portion 'of the side walls, the nextadjacent of said parts extending inwardly atv rightvangles to thefirst-mentioned part, and the third of said parts being formed at theinner edge of the inwardly extending part, and a reinforcing membersecured to said third part, said bottom being attached to said second orintermediate part at a point outside of said reinforcing' member.

5. A metal crate including in combination, side walls, a bottom, a frameextending all around the bottom edge of the crate, said frame being bentlongitudinally into three parts, one of said parts lying against andbeingattached to the bottom portion of ther side walls, the nextadjacent of said parts extending inwardly at right angles to thefirst-mentioned part, and said third part being bent downwardly and thenupwardly, and a reinforcing member lying within said 'third part, saidbottom being attached to said second or intermediate part at a pointoutside of said reinforcing member. l

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

' LOU B. KAUFFMANN. Witnesses:

W. W. Hour, J oHN P. DAVIS.

